flag of Madagascar

Possibly based on traditions in Indonesia, the original home of the Malagasy, the predominant flag colours of Madagascar have always been white and red. In the mid-17th century, for example, those colours were chosen by the Sakalava dynasty when it came to power. They named their country the kingdom of Menabé, which means “great red.” In the late 17th century the Merina (Hova) kingdom was established. Its flags were also almost exclusively of white and red. Typically, each Merina ruler put his or her name and title in red lettering on a white or white-and-red flag. In the 1880s and ’90s Madagascar fell under French control. Local symbols were suppressed but not forgotten.

Following World War II, Malagasy rebels fought an unsuccessful war for independence under a white-and-red flag containing blue stars. Finally, a decade later, the French began to allow Madagascar and other colonies to advance toward self-government. The Malagasy Republic became autonomous on October 14, 1958, and one week later it adopted a national flag. Still in use today, this flag combines the traditional white and red colours with a stripe of green. The white is said to stand for purity and the red for sovereignty; the green represents the coastal regions and symbolizes hope. Many other former French colonies adopted vertical or horizontal tricolours, showing clearly the influence of the French Tricolor on their designs, but Madagascar chose a unique arrangement.